Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/7067
6A – Daily News – Saturday, February 20, 2010 A MediaNews Group newspaper Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Opinion I am writing this in Wisconsin; we have been here for a little over a week and will return to Red Bluff in six days. It's snowing and we are enjoying our son's warm house and our fifteen month old grandson. Before this we were at our daughter's house enjoying our seventeen month old grandson, who just learned to say grandpa. Visiting our children here and in Pennsylvania is a blessing, but can also be a minor irritant. Why can't the children load their dishwashers like I do? Why can't they organize their kitchens like we do so putting things away is not a guessing game? Why can't they subscribe to a newspa- per? Why are their refrigerators stuffed with so many strange items? Why do they spend so much on non-reconstituted orange juice that does not include pulp? Why are there no empty coat hangers in the guest closets? And the most irritating question of all, am I getting set in my ways? Then I look around their hous- es and I see my grandmother's dining room set, my mother-in- law's piano, my father's axe, my father-in-law's easy chair, my great aunt's dining room set, our old kitchen table, an old family oil painting, and lots of family pho- tographs. In spite of the differ- ences in housekeeping or newspa- per subscriptions, my children's families maintain a physical conti- nuity with the generations that came before them and the extend- ed family, and that makes me feel good. There are other continuities as well: family menus, celebrations, traditions, focus on the children, and love. We are still an extended family, but each of the extensions of our family is unique, and upon reflection, that is comforting. When we started having chil- dren we said we would not be per- fect parents, but we would make different mistakes from those our own parents made. We have learned our children have that right as well, although there are times when we have to bite our tongues. I have often wondered, howev- er, if the frequent dispersal of fam- ilies, the physical distances between generations, and the demands of two wage earner fam- ilies would loosen the ties that hold us together, ties that preserve a sense of who we are. Both of us grew up without having to move; our parents did not have to change jobs; we lived in a neighborhood and knew our neighbors; although not rich, we seemed to live in financial securi- ty. We went to college only thirty miles away, and when we met and were married we lived within walking distance of both parents. Our experience was not unique in our generation. After we had three children and had been married eight years, however, we moved all of 200 miles away to Red Bluff. It was then that we began to develop our own unique way of life within our greater family context. Our children's generation has had a different experience. Our children were raised in the rela- tively sheltered community of Red Bluff, went to Red Bluff Schools, but upon graduation they spread their wings, with no intention of ever return- ing. One son lives with- in an hour's drive of his in-laws, but our other two children live signifi- cantly farther away from any family. Neverthe- less, between cell phones, the internet, and other modern conve- niences, they stay in touch with their fami- lies. We receive pho- tographs, videos, and updates on a regular basis; we Skype to see each other live. When we visit, which is not as often as we would like, we feel we have only been gone a short while since we feel we have been kept up to date on a regular basis. When we are able to have the entire family together we rejoice in the opportunity to be physically reunited, if only for a short while. Last Thanksgiving we shared 36 hours in Pennsylvania. The menu was not the same as in Red Bluff, although it did include sauerkraut, a Blanck/Harrop tradition, and there was lots of turkey, potatoes, dressing, and rolls to eat. Old familiar family stories were told as well as some new revelations that had been secrets kept from us for many years. It was fun, refresh- ing, and rejuvenating. My father's family was a prod- uct of the Depression. the family eventually spread out from Kansas to California; letters and Christmas cards were the primary mode of communication; phone calls were a real luxury and only used in emergency. Friends from high school were lost in the past; there was no Face Book to keep in touch. We did have family visitors on occasion, but neither my brother nor I felt in contact with the fami- lies. Now we have faded photographs, a few old letters, and it is hard to piece together what has been lost. My mother's family emigrated from Sweden and only had infre- quent letters and photographs to keep in touch. Distance and lan- guage made it difficult for us to keep up with her family. I wasn't sure I was prepared for a family spread all over the coun- try. It seemed to me that we were losing the glue that holds us together, the continuity of genera- tions. It seemed to me that we would morph into strangers. I see now that I was wrong; this new global village we inhabit is not so bad after all. Joe Harrop is a retired educator with more than 30 years of service to the North State. He can be reached at DrJoeHarrop@sbcglobal.net. Family life in the Global Village Commentary N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Joe Harrop STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 4164 P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento 94249; (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319- 2102 STATE SENATOR — Sam Aanestad (R), State Capitol Bldg., Room 2054, Sacramen- to, CA 95814. (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Your officials Just nine short months ago, Californians voted down Proposi- tion 1D to transfer funds from First 5 (Proposition 10) to fill State budget holes. The newest budget proposal proposes, once again, to ask the voters to shift 50 percent of the tobacco tax rev- enues out of the First 5 Commis- sion and into various State pro- grams also facing budget short- ages. The Problem: much of the First 5 funds work to prevent chil- dren and families from needing the exact services they are proposing to use the money for. First 5 funds support children and families: • $60.2 million is going to hos- pitals and community clinics that serve low income children and provide pediatric services unavailable anywhere else. More than $10 million is going to oral health services. • $48.8 million is going direct- ly to county public health and social service departments to deliver critical services, including nurse home visiting for at-risk families, child abuse prevention, and support for children with spe- cial needs. • $133 million is going to school districts and county offices of education for preschool and other early education pro- grams targeted to children at greatest risk of academic failu8re – programs that are helping to close the academic achievement gap by closing the school readi- ness gap. One benefit of the First 5 struc- ture is the use of local Commis- sions. Every county has their own commission, designed to make local decisions and set priorities based upon the specific needs of the individual community. This structure ensures that money trickles down into neighborhoods, funding local programs that enrich our county and serve our local families. What does this take-away mean for Tehama County? The following partners will be impact- ed, and their programs will be eliminated or significantly reduced: • Tehama County Department of Education – School Readiness program and Annual Provider Recognition Event • Gerber Union Elementary School District – Parents as Teachers Home Visiting program, KinderCamp, Families and Schools Together program, inten- sive case management services, and School Readiness Transition Team • Child Care Referral and Edu- cation – Partners for Quality Child Care Program • Northern Valley Indian Health – Mobile Dental Clinic Coordination • Los Molinos Uni- fied School District - First Steps Family Resource Center, Par- ents as Teachers Home Visiting program, KinderCamp, Families and Schools Together program, and intensive case management services, and School Readiness Transition Team • Tehama County Health Ser- vice Agency: Public Health Divi- sion – Perinatal Substance Abuse Program , Mobile Dental Clinic and Health Partnership coordina- tion • Tehama County Health Ser- vice Agency: Drug/Alcohol Division – DADs Program and Perinatal Substance Abuse Pro- gram • Northern Valley Catholic Social Service – Red Bluff and Corning Family Resource Center network sustainability and coor- dination • Corning Elementary School District - Parents as Teachers Home Visiting program, Kinder- Camp, Families and Schools Together program, and intensive case management services First 5 Tehama funds have already been used to assist the budget gaps. In 2009, the First 5 State Com- mission directed $81.4 million to backfill Healthy Families, ensuring coverage for 200,000 infants and children. In our county, First 5 Tehama: • Increased support for pro- grams addressing child abuse prevention and substance abuse • Increased funding for early childhood education programs • Provided support to existing community-based service providers facing increased demand and reduced resources Rather than taking money away from local control and plac- ing it into the State Budget coughers, legislators should respect the voters and continue to maintain First 5 funds to help local children and families get through this crisis. Denise Snider is executive director of First 5 Tehama — Children & Families Commission. No means no Guest View Denise Snider